You know Walker, when I got it from Youxin he said it had been convered from a IIIc to a IIIf and I never really new what was convereted so i called it a IIIc. How can you tell, what is different between the two models?

Rob, the finder matches really well on this camera. I use the 35mm lens a lot and when I use a 50 I just leave the finder on the camera. The only time it comes off is when I transfer it to use on one of my Kiev's.

You know Walker, when I got it from Youxin he said it had been convered from a IIIc to a IIIf and I never really new what was convereted so i called it a IIIc. How can you tell, what is different between the two models? leo

Hi Leo,

The IIIf will have the flash connection on the back and the sync delay dial around the base of the shutter speed dial with the numbers from 0~20. The color of the sync delay numbers will be either black or red which will determine if it's a Black Dial or Red Dial. Unless the factory somehow made a mistake, the Black Dial will always have the old shutter speeds of 1/30, 1/40, 1/60 while the Red Dial will be 1/25, 1/50 & 1/75. Not only do the numbers in your picture appear to be black (to me) but your shutter speed dial on the front clearly says 1/30.

The IIIc and the IIIf Black Dial share a common shutter I believe while the Red Dial not only changed the shutter speed sequence but also has a "lighter" and improved shutter. In my opinion, there's little to choose between them and the Black Dial works just as well as the Red Dial.

You know Walker, when I got it from Youxin he said it had been convered from a IIIc to a IIIf and I never really new what was convereted so i called it a IIIc. How can you tell, what is different between the two models?

Rob, the finder matches really well on this camera. I use the 35mm lens a lot and when I use a 50 I just leave the finder on the camera. The only time it comes off is when I transfer it to use on one of my Kiev's.

leo

The most obvious difference is the larger shutter speed dial on the IIIf. Then there's the synch ring under that, along with the PC outlet on the rear of the camera.

I am going home, it should be there waiting for me. My Elmar is ready, I just need to screw it in. All I need is to load some TriX and head out of my door. It is a beautiful day out too. No reason to stay at work today, or, too many reasons to leave early.

Charles, I can't tell from the picture if your Leica is a III, IIIa or IIIb but whichever it is, it's a beauty!!

Walker

Hello Walker, it is a IIIa from 1936 according to the serial. It is in a surprisingly good condish for its age and especially all the screws are shiny and nowhere is brassy! I know I have a quite nice specimen, but I plan to paint the main body in darkgrey hammertone or black hammertone during my DIY CLA

Hello Walker, it is a IIIa from 1936 according to the serial. It is in a surprisingly good condish for its age and especially all the screws are shiny and nowhere is brassy! I know I have a quite nice specimen, but I plan to paint the main body in darkgrey hammertone or black hammertone during my DIY CLA

The IIIa is a really nice model and they surprise me with the prices they sometimes bring. A 1938 body sold for $160 last evening. I wish it weren't so close to tax time or I'd have been REALLY tempted!! However, I managed to snag one in rather sorry external condition last week - complete with a 50mm f/1.9 Serenar - for $110. I wanted it for parts to repair my late father's IIIa. It has a very contrasty rangefinder and the shutter is so smooth I've decided to keep it as it is and only replace the vulcanite that is practically falling off. I plan to post pictures of it sometime as I believe it may have been a WW2 US military camera at one time.

I'm pretty certain that you'll lower the value of your own IIIa if you paint it but that is your decision. Just keep in mind that they don't make the IIIa anymore so every one that is altered makes the remaining originals more valuable. I will say that the IIIa in hammertone gray or black will be one sharp camera!!

Oh dear, my ISP just fixed a "routing hole" that prevented me from reaching this forum. I now wish they had not !

I'm into Barnacks too, and I have a Leica IIIc + Summitar in the post (from Germany). I decided to get a "real one" after having so much fun with the russian clones.

Anyway, I'll "contribute" some porn in the form of my Zorki 3 with it's Jupiter 8... I just serviced and repolished the lens, thus the enphasis of the image on the phalic par of the camera
Can't wait to get the Leica !

I went to the camera show today in San Jose looking for a user Leica II. We got there late but I found what I was looking for at the 2'nd to last table (ser. #10098xx). Someone had it upgraded with a newer flash connection on the back behind the speed setting dial. The curtain looked pretty good there at the show but checking it at home I can see slight cracks in it. So if anyone can suggest someone who does curtain replacement please let me know. It even came with a Summar 5cm f2.

My 1936 IIIa and my Dad's 1930's Vibroplex telegraph key. It's got nothing to do with the camera other than they are of a similar vintage and are both very precise mechanical designs. And I think they look kind of cool together.

My father used this key before the 2nd World War when he was a buck sargeant in the Army. Because he had a first class FCC radio-telegraph license and was very electronically savy he was sent to a special officer's prepatory school in New England just before the war where they commisioned him as a 2nd lt. in the Signal Corps and he landed in Italy as Eisenhower's Signals Officer. He was in Korea when I was born. He retired a Lt Col. in 1959. He died in 2000. He was an avid photographer and gave me my first camera ( A Yashica 44 TLR) in 1965.

For the uninitiated it's called a "bug" and before digital keys it was probably the fastest key to be had. It takes some getting used to however if one has only used a standard key. It moves sideways. Not up and down. One direction is dots and the other dashes. It is spring loaded so it will repeat on the dot side by holding the key to that side for the required number of dots. It is beyond my skill level which is pretty basic.

Correction. I think it will repeat in both directions. It's been years since I played with it.

I posted this in the Camera & Coffee thread, but I wanted to include it here as well for those that might be interested & missed it... Ok, it's not a Leica, but it is definitely as close as I'm going to get for quite a while! I recently bought this great camera from RFF member Dexdog... It was a really good deal! I currently only have fsu lenses in ltm, but hope to pick up a nikkor 50/2 or a collapsible leitz when I have saved some $$$

Heh. I know what you mean. My Digi is a cheap POS that I got because my step-mother believed it totally broken. It's a Kodak DC3400 and most of my shots have that same (#($&#(*&$ glow. Gotta get something better without actually spending any real money...

"Some people are 'the glass is half full' types. Some people are 'the glass is half empty' types. I'm a 'the glass is full of radioactive waste and I just drank half of it' type. And I'm still thirsty." -- Bill Mattocks

If you are unhappy with your 'glowy' digi shots & don't want to spend much $$$ take a look at ebay... Some 4-5mp cameras have dropped to very low prices now (even new). The shot of my Tower was taken with a $75 barely used Rollei dt4000... I did get a good price, but this sort of deal seems to be available often.

I just got home and have been playing with my IIf. This is so beautiful and I am so glad I busted oout the dollars. I have been out shooting with it in between developing rolls from my last trip. I love using it and can't wait to finish off the roll and see how the photo's are.

It is a IIf and it is in very good condition. The lens does show cleaning marks though but all shutter speeds appear to be working just fine as advertised. I bought it here on the forum from a member. I love this camera and since I got back it is the only one I have used shooting about 15 frames so far. I can't wait to finish the roll off and see how we did. That little camera fits in my L2 Alice between the 2 MPs... I was just meant to have this little gem.

__________________
Glenn

Photographers work I am interested in: Jon Kral; HCB the portraits
Equipment I am using: 2 MP's an MP3 and some lenses

As my own little IIIf now finally has made it back from CLA, I guess it's time to post a picture of it. While it's been away, I have managed to get my hands on some filters ( yellow, green, red, blue and UV in 18,5 mm sizes) and a cable release (a Leitz one to my surprise). Hopefully, somewhere here's the camera in a somewhat fuzzy glory. (If I got it right...)

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